Midnight Sun
by PsiYoshi
Summary: Soleil goes on a nighttime stroll in town, but things quickly go awry.


It was a crisp, cool night. Clouds covered most of the sky, and though the moon's light tried to break through, it still remained too dark to see without assistance. So, Soleil kept to the torchlit town, walking the quiet cobblestone roads. Her collar helped protect her from the cool gusts of wind, but the Autumn breeze still nipped at her nose. It was on nights like these where she would get lost in nostalgic memories. Back in her deeprealm, Soleil and her mercenary group would patrol the town on nights like these, keeping an eye out for anyone looking to cause trouble. A part of her missed that time in her life. Sure, it would have been great if there was no need for her little vigilante justice group at all, but since it existed, she was glad she could be the one to take action and make a difference. Since she received a fairly hefty allowance from her parents, she had let her men accept any monetary reward. Soleil's reward was the smiles of the would-be victims, grateful for her assistance. Of course, if they also happened to be a real cutie, she'd always be up for a date. There are few people in the world she admires as much as her dad, and though his visits were few and far between growing up, she was well aware of his flirtatious habits, habits that Soleil herself had picked up as well.

The main streets of town are safe at night. Merchants performing overnight deliveries often passed through town, so there'd be a lot of witnesses if any trouble were to show up. But this wasn't the first time she's strolled through town this time of night, and she was feeling up for a change of pace, so she decided to take a turn down one of the dimly side streets. These areas were not as safe as the main roads, but Soleil wasn't exactly an easy target, innocent as she may look. She always had a shortsword on her at the very least, and tonight was no exception. That said, she wasn't expecting to run into any trouble, and continued on reminiscing about her past. Her mercenary group was well known in her deeprealm for being a cheery and rowdy bunch. Soleil believed that it was their unrelenting optimism that made them the force of reckoning they were. That was another trait she got from her dad, instilled into her at a young age. "Always keep smiling", he had told her. And she knew that's why she and her men always came out on top. The bandits they dealt with were always a miserable bunch of people, and had no sense of comradery. But, Soleil believed that when you're fighting with those you care about, and keep a positive outlook, then it's impossible to fail!

Soleil snapped back to reality when she heard a faint voice coming from a nearby alley. "Come on now, give it up before things get ugly for ya", a low, gruff voice sounded.

"Ha, I've fought off far worse than lowly bandits, believe me,'' a voice responded. But it wasn't just any voice, it was Laslow, Soleil's dad!

Immediately Soleil drew her sword and sprinted towards the source of the voices. "Oh it ain't just me here, pretty boy", said the bandit.

Soleil made it to the alley entrance, where she saw her father with his back against the wall and two muscular men with hand axes approaching him. Soleil panicked. Her father, strong as he was, was in a severely disadvantageous position against the two attackers.

Laslow saw his daughter out of the corner of his eye. The two men in front of him hadn't noticed her yet, so he took action immediately. Dropping his guard he said, "Well fellas, I know when I'm beaten. What'll it be then? My gold, I presume?" 

The bandit on the right looked to his partner on the left. "Gold? I think you can offer a little more than just gold, can't you, princey?", the bandit spat the word "princey" like each syllable burned to say.

"Princey!?", Laslow questioned in a panicked manner. "I-I have no idea what you mean. I serve Prince Xander of Nohr, but I assure you I am no prince myself."

"Our sources are good princey, don't play dumb with us, y'hear!?", the second bandit snarled.

Laslow sighed. "Yeah, I hear you loud and clear. I'll give you something far better than gold. How about this!?" Swiftly, Laslow unsheathed his sword and swung to his right, catching the bandits off guard and creating some room for maneuverability.

Soleil saw her opportunity to jump in, slashing one of the bandits cleanly in the back. Laslow was holding off the other one, using his agility to outmaneuver his far larger opponent. Seeing that Soleil had weakened one of them, Laslow deftly countered a swing from the bandit attacking him and effortlessly flowed into a strike onto Soleil's target, eliminating the threat. Even in the midst of battle, Soleil couldn't help but admire her father's technique. Watching him battle was like watching a rehearsed dance performance.

Seeing his fallen comrade, the other bandit quickly dropped his weapon and raised his hands. "I-I surrender! Please, please don't hurt me! I was just following orders!" he whimpered.

Laslow walked up to the bandit and pointed his sword at his throat. "See to it that whoever you got your orders from hears this: Do not trifle with Ylisse".

"Y-yessir", the bandit answered, and the moment Laslow lowered his sword, the bandit ran off into the darkness of night. With a sigh, Laslow turned to face his daughter.

"Uuuh, dad? What the heck was that all about!?", Soleil cried. "Why are they calling you a prince!? What's Ylisse!?" She took a moment to catch her breath. "Sorry, first I should ask if you're alright. That could have gotten really bad!"

"I'm fine, Soleil, thanks to you. How fortunate I am that you showed up when you did", Laslow smiled. Not too long ago he would have been furious with Soleil for endangering herself like that, but he knew now that it's better for both of them if they can watch each other's backs.

"Of course I'm just so glad I was here to help." Soleil paused. "But seriously, a prince, dad? That can't be true can it?"

Laslow avoided eye contact while he thought about how to respond. Facing his daughter, he said, "Soleil, we have a lot we need to discuss. How about we go grab some tea, and I'll answer any questions you may have".

Agreeing to his suggestion, the two of them made their way back to the main road and into their favourite tea place to have a long, important discussion. 


End file.
